Monthly Archives: May 2010

The combination of oil spill and anti-Arizona rhetoric continues to drag down President Obama’s poll numbers. Scott Rasmussen’s Approval Index, the difference between those who strongly approve and strongly disapprove of his performance, has declined to -22, the lowest point of Obama’s presidency so far: Overall, Obama’s approval/disapproval among likely voters stands at 43/56. Other numbers are equally troubling for the President. Among men, 20 percent strongly approve of his »

My conservative cousin from New York writes: Plans to build Cordoba House, a 15-story Islamic Center two blocks north of Ground Zero, received a major boost yesterday when a Manhattan community board backed the proposal by a 29-to-1 vote. Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf said the center would help “bridge and heal a divide” among Muslims and other religious groups. Perhaps the Imam is sincere but I find the whole project »

The World Cup is almost upon us. Bob Bradley, coach of the U.S. team, is about to name his 23-man squad. And the Lucky Bar, my favorite place to watch soccer (Connecticut Ave., a block or so south of Dupont Circle in Washington), has just put up the flags of all 32 participating countries. But before we get to the World Cup, let’s name the all-star team for the recently »

When Nina Easton found a mob of union thugs demonstrating at her neighbor’s Chevy Chase house last week, she used her professional skills to ascertain what all the fuss was about. She filed an illuminating report. The mainstream media have avoided the story. In response to Easton’s report, the SEIU and Media Matters undertook to attack Easton for an undisclosed conflict involving her husband. They have pointed out no error »

Our friends at the Claremont Institute believe that America took a wrong turn with the advent of the Progressive era and the Progressive attack on the Constitution in the name of — what else? — progress. It is the audacious project of of the Claremont Institute to restore the principles of the American Founding to their rightful, preeminent authority in our national life. Key to the success of the project »

Is Red China an economic paper tiger? I doubt it. But I do think China’s economic status is vastly overrated, and so does John Pomfret of the Washington Post. The emphasis of his article is on the lack of Chinese “brand names.” It also touches on the relatively small amount of Chinese direct investment overseas. But the underlying issue, according to Pomfret, may well be China’s lack of successful innovation, »

These are momentous times. War could break out on the Korean peninsula at any moment. The Gulf oil spill is turning into an environmental disaster of the first magnitude, while the federal government stands by helplessly. (Speaking of which, I will be on Bill Bennett’s radio show at 7:05 central time, tomorrow morning, to talk about the spill.) Both Afghanistan and Iraq teeter on the brink, and our economy is »

Last night, in discussing Richard Blumenthal’s dismal record of grandstanding and abuse as Connecticut’s Attorney General, I said that Blumenthal had the owner of the small business, Gina Malapanis, arrested in her home on seven first-degree larceny charges. However, a reader informs me that, unlike most state attorney general, the Connecticut AG has no criminal authority. There is no criminal division in the AG’s office, but rather a separate office, »

Arizona’s law that attempts to enforce existing immigration statutes was premised largely on the fact that the federal government, which has constitutional responsibility for border control, has essentially abdicated–not just failing, but actually refusing to carry out its constitutional responsibility, as a matter of policy. President Obama, other members of his administration, and many more on the left responded with vicious attacks on the people of Arizona, accusing them of »

McClatchy has a long, pessimistic piece about the war in Afghanistan. It begins with a conversation between Gen. McChrystal and an aide. McChrystal is lamenting the situation in Marjah. Aide: You’ve got to be patient, we’ve only been here 90 days. McChrystal: How many days do you think we have before we run out of support by the international community? Aide: I can’t tell you sir. McChrystal: I’m telling you. »

Deval Patrick, the sorry excuse for Massachusetts governor, stated yesterday that Republican opposition to President Obama’s agenda “is almost at the level of sedition.” The online edition of the Meriam-Webster dictionary defines sedition as “incitement of resistance to or insurrection against lawful authority.” Later, Patrick explained that his use of the word sedition was just a “rhetorical flourish.” Or, as Patrick (and indeed Obama) might have put it, “just words.” »

Do you recall what was revealed the day that SEIU sicced a mob on the suburban D.C. home of the Bank of America deputy general counsel? Nina Easton filed an illuminating report. The mainstream media are studiously avoiding this story. Readers seeking to keep up with it will have to check in at Big Government with Andrew Marcus on the Obama connection and with Liberty Chick on the unholy SEIU/Media »

Former self-proclaimed Vietnam vet Richard Blumenthal deserves a formidable Republican opponent. Blulmenthal is the Connecticut Attorney General who regularly used his office as a steppingstone to better things; the better thing he now seeks is the job of United States Senator from Connecticut. Slate’s William Saletan makes an impressive case that no one should give Blumenthal a break for his Vietnam deception because he has never given anyone a break. »

President Obama has a remarkable relationship with the White House press corps. He gives fewer press conferences than any President in memory, seldom answers questions, and treats reporters with contempt. He does this, in part, because he knows that the White House press corps loves him. Some would call this an abusive relationship. Byron York writes, “Fawning press now gets cold shoulder from Obama.” Will Barack Obama go an entire »

It doesn’t come as a surprise to learn that Richard Blumenthal, who attempted to aggrandize himself by lying about his Vietnam-era military service, has also used his power as Connecticut’s attorney general to promote himself. According to Fergus Cullen, he has done this through high-profile lawsuits against businesses, most of which accomplished nothing other than to bring him publicity. In one particularly egregious case, Blumenthal went after a relatively small »

Dino Rossi is reportedly set to announce that he will seek the Republican nomination for the Washington Senate seat held by Democrat Patty Murray. Rossi was twice unsuccessful in running for governor of Washington, but one of those two races was decided by only 133 votes. Polls suggest that Rossi is the strongest candidate the Republicans can field in this race. The most recent poll, conducted by the University of »

President Obama got a boost from his supporters after Congress enacted Obamacare, but it appears to have been short-lived. Rasmussen Reports finds that the number of voters who strongly approve of Obama’s performance is declining again, while the number who strongly disapprove is rising. The gap now stands at -17: More broadly, likely voters who disapprove of Obama’s performance now outnumber those who approve by a rather hefty 11-point margin, »